1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to manually actuated cameras in which an operating member serves as the sole manually actuated member to cock the shutter, to locate the film for exposure, to release the shutter, and then to advance the film.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cameras for use with a film disk have recently been introduced into the market by Eastman Kodak Company incorporating a motor drive which is energized by the operator to locate, expose and advance the film. This camera/film combination provides the consumer with unprecedented convenience in that the operation is totally automated and the physical size permits ready pocketability. One example of the structure of such a camera is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,387 issued in the name of R. Cloutier. Although such cameras are very convenient to operate, the complexity of the mechanism and the cost of the motor control and the motor itself tend to make the cameras relatively expensive to produce.
Other cameras have been devised for use with disk film which are simpler in construction and operation, utilizing manual operations for film location, exposure and advance. One such camera is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,614, which illustrates a manually operated camera that provides substantially the same operational features of the Cloutier camera, but without the expense of a motor and its controls. However, this camera does not provide the convenience of one-button operation, requiring the operator to first actuate an exposure button, and subsequently to operate a film-advance lever to advance and locate the film for the next exposure.
Other examples of prior art cameras used with film disks are noted in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,614 and include U.S. Pat. No. 2,625,087 which discloses a camera that utilizes a reloadable film cartridge assembly with film in the form of a disk. This camera permits one-button operation, actuating the shutter for film exposure and then advancing the film for the next exposure. However, this camera does not provide a mechanism for the accurate location of the film during exposure and for subsequent release to permit advancing the film for the next exposure. Thus, this camera does not provide sufficiently accurate film positioning to ensure high resolution photographs under all conditions.
Still other examples of prior art cameras for use with film disks are disclosed at pages 97-98 and 100-101 of the March 1982 issue of Research Disclosure published by Industrial Opportunities Ltd., Havant, England. These cameras are reasonably simple and compact, providing manual and one-button operation. Nevertheless, each of these cameras suffers from structural limitations that detract from the operating convenience for the customer. For example, one of these cameras suffer from the fact that the customer must first initialize the cartridge after loading, that is operate the actuating button without taking a picture, to bring the first frame of the film into the exposure position. This unnecessarily complicates the opertion of the camera and is to be avoided if possible. The other cameras disclosed by this publication are so arranged and constructed to permit partial initiation of the operating cycle and interruption of the cycle without actually taking a picture. Because of anti-back-up provisions necessary to prevent double exposure or double frame advancement, these arrangements undesirably necessitate that the mechanism be left in an intermediate position with portions under stress for some indeterminate period of time.